Dr. Afxendiou
Sachem North High School
 1 page (will accept
a little longer) – but…
 Single spaced
 They require at least 3 paragraphs.
I believe in having an
introduction as well so I would like to see 4 paragraphs.
However, the final decision of format is up to you.
 Your writing must be informed by research (don’t say things
that you are not sure about. If you are not sure, look it up or
ask one of your teammates)
 If you can make connections to other countries it will make
your paper stronger
 Show that you are knowledgeable
 I will break down the writing process for you
 I will create questions to guide you in writing each
paragraph
 I will use examples from a sample position paper from
UNA-USA, and a position paper that JHUMUNC gives as
an example
 If you feel you don’t want to follow these directions, that
you can write a good, persuasive and defensible position
paper without them, feel free to follow your instincts (but
it must be written well)
Identify the issue
State your country’s position
Question 1: What is going on, what are we
discussing?
Question 2: Where does Tunisia stand on this issue?
Question 3: What evidence (statistics, quotes) can you
give to support Tunisia’s stand?
Committee: International Labor Organization
Topic: Globalization and Development
Country: Romania
This sample position paper was submitted by the
delegation of Romania at the 2007 UNA-USA Model
UN Conference in New York City.
In the past two decades the rapidly growing world trend has been toward
globalization. With the emergence of the internet as a means of
communication and the increasing accessibility of international trade
physical barriers are not the only barriers withering away. Protective
tariffs are plummeting and free trade agreements are becoming more
prevalent. Romania appreciates that globalization creates favorable
situations for expansion of commercial as well as economic assets. In
the past year Romania has seen a foreign direct investment (FDI)
increase of 199%. Inward FDI increased from EURO 234 million in
2005 to EURO 699 million in 2006. However, Romania realizes that
increased globalization does not automatically produce more equality.
Give the background of the topic (has to go beyond the
background guide).
YOU MUST SHOW THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE
TOPIC!
Question 1: Is this a new topic or an ongoing one?
Question 2: Has the UN already taken any actions,
passed resolutions, made recommendations?
Question 3: Who are the main players?
Committee: European Union
Topic: Immigration in the European Union
Delegation: United Kingdom
This sample position paper was submitted by the
delegate representing the United Kingdom at a past
JHUMUNC
Given the large geographical area of the European Union (EU), immigration has
always been one of the topics most relevant to all EU member states. While the
EU has tried to serve as a medium for economic cooperation – thereby leading to
migration to increased legal migration – there has also, of course, been the problem
of illegal immigration between EU member states and between EU members and
non-EU states. However, the modern realities of terrorism have made illegal
immigration even more of a concern for EU member nations. To date, one of the
greatest advances in EU cooperation regarding immigration has been the Hague
Programme. This policy covers a wide range of issues that deal with immigration
policy and it has also served as the building block for many regional agreements.
Nonetheless, the European Union has been unable to come up with a
straightforward and agreeable policy to tackle the problem of illegal immigration.
Perhaps most serious of all, the EU has also not been able to reconcile many
differences among national immigration policies with common EU-wide ones.
 Your country’s position
Here they say they want to see the ethos of your country.
Ethos - a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the
guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or
ideology
It is implied, worked in, not stated outright like, “Tunisia’s ethos
is…” If you do your research and you give the information
you are supposed to, the ethos will take care of itself.
Question 1: What ideas does the Tunisian government support?
Question 2: Why does it support those ideas?
Romania believes the multinational business
community has the ability and the obligation to
support pertinent values in human rights, labor
standards, and environmental preservation. As
stated by the president, Mr. Traion Basescu,
Romania feels a "heartfelt attachment to
multilateralism, as an effective instrument designed
to identify the adequate answers to the challenges
brought by globalization."
Under a Protocol to the Treaty establishing the European Community, the United Kingdom (UK)
has the right to decide whether or not it wishes to participate in measures concerning
immigration and asylum (the Republic of Ireland is the only other member state in this
position). To date, British policy has been to participate in measures concerning the Common
European Asylum Policy (e.g. directives on refugee qualification, minimum reception
standards, procedures for determining asylum claims, etc...) and measures to tackle illegal
immigration. The British government has chosen not to participate in measures concerning
legal migration on grounds that these could impact its ability to determine who can or cannot
enter the UK legally. Furthermore, the UK does not participate in the “Schengen”
arrangements that entail a lifting of border controls among certain member states. At the same
time, the United Kingdom also does not participate in the Common Visa Policy (a.k.a. the EU
visa waiver program) preferring instead to determine its own arrangements. In genera,
however, despite the United Kingdom’s reluctance to give up some of its sovereignty to the
EU administration, the British government has been at the forefront of immigration reform. In
fact, during its 2005 presidency, the United Kingdom chose to highlight immigration as one of
the topics that needed progress.
 Recommendations for solutions
• Short term (alleviate the problem for now)
• Long term (how do we keep it from recurring)
Question 1: What is needed to be done immediately?
Question 2: Who is able to act?
Question 3: What is Tunisia’s proposal as to what is to be
done in the short term, by whom and how?
Question 4: What is needed to be done to take care of the
problem for a long time, perhaps forever?
Question 5: What is Tunisia’s proposal as to what is to be
done in the long term, by whom and how?
Simply put, the United Kingdom has a threefold immigration
proposal. First the UK would like to see the EU play a
larger role in managing migration internationally, which
would mean implementing action plans with key countries
on EU borders to deal with migration flows across the
Mediterranean and from the East. Moreover, this policy
would also
Answer all the questions
of the 4 paragraphs
Know the opposing argument
Know the opposing countries
Know who your allies are
Know what actions have already been taken,
what discussions/negotiations were held
Stream line it, make it shorter without losing
your arguments – write and re-write